| Author |
Message |
Fred G
Guest
|
| Posted: Thu Sep 08, 2005 2:42 pm
Post subject: Noun Consistency |
|
|
I'm having trouble with the following sentence:
"Most of the Duars are located in India, though a part of it ranging
between ten to fifteen kilometres in width extends into Bhutan."
Should it be:
"Most of the Duars are located in India, though a part of them,
ranging between ten to fifteen kilometres in width, extend into
Bhutan."
Thanks |
|
| Back to top |
|
 |
Mark Brader
Guest
|
| Posted: Thu Sep 08, 2005 2:59 pm
Post subject: Re: Noun Consistency |
|
|
Fred G. writes:
| Quote: | I'm having trouble with the following sentence:
"Most of the Duars are located in India, though a part of it ranging
between ten to fifteen kilometres in width extends into Bhutan."
Should it be:
"Most of the Duars are located in India, though a part of them,
ranging between ten to fifteen kilometres in width, extend into
Bhutan."
|
"Them" is right, since Duars is plural; but "extends" is right,
since "part" is singular. As to the punctuation, I think it works
either way; as usual, I prefer it with the commas.
--
Mark Brader, Toronto | Polly-ticks: Bloodsucking parasites that squawk
msb@vex.net | mindless slogans in place of thought. --Chris Vernell |
|
| Back to top |
|
|
Jim Lawton
Guest
|
| Posted: Thu Sep 08, 2005 3:21 pm
Post subject: Re: Noun Consistency |
|
|
On Thu, 08 Sep 2005 08:59:14 -0000, msb@vex.net (Mark Brader) wrote:
| Quote: | Fred G. writes:
I'm having trouble with the following sentence:
"Most of the Duars are located in India, though a part of it ranging
between ten to fifteen kilometres in width extends into Bhutan."
Should it be:
"Most of the Duars are located in India, though a part of them,
ranging between ten to fifteen kilometres in width, extend into
Bhutan."
"Them" is right, since Duars is plural; but "extends" is right,
since "part" is singular. As to the punctuation, I think it works
either way; as usual, I prefer it with the commas.
|
I'm not sure Duars is plural ...
"also spelled Dwars, or Dooars, region of northeastern India, at the foot of
the west Assam Himalayas."
http://www.britannica.com/eb/article-9031316
If it's a transliteration, there is no guarantee the "s" represents a plural.
Having Googled I suspect it should be singular throughout. :-
"Several species of birds and orchid are unique to Duars"
"Tourism guide for Duars. Travel to Duars. Hotels in Duars"
--
Jim
"a single species has come to dominate ...
reproducing at bacterial levels, almost as an
infectious plague envelops its host"
http://tinyurl.com/c88xs |
|
| Back to top |
|
|
Bertel Lund Hansen
Guest
|
| Posted: Thu Sep 08, 2005 3:43 pm
Post subject: Re: Noun Consistency |
|
|
Fred G skrev:
| Quote: | "Most of the Duars are located in India, though a part of them,
ranging between ten to fifteen kilometres in width, extend into
Bhutan."
|
It sounds as if they have extremely long arms or legs. I would
write (without knowing what "Duar(s)" is):
Most of the Duars are located in India, though some of them
occupy a territory, ranging from ten to fifteen kilometres in
width, which extends into Bhutan.
--
Bertel
Denmark |
|
| Back to top |
|
|
Mark Brader
Guest
|
| Posted: Thu Sep 08, 2005 4:01 pm
Post subject: Re: Noun Consistency |
|
|
Mark Brader:
| Quote: | "Them" is right, since Duars is plural...
|
Jim Lawton:
| Quote: | I'm not sure Duars is plural ...
|
I assumed the original poster used a plural because he'd be reading
about the Duars in a reference that construed the word as plural.
When I looked at the stub article on them in Wikipedia and saw that
it begins "the Duars are", I figured that was sufficient confirmation.
If "Duars" is singular, then it's "is" and "it".
| Quote: | Having Googled I suspect it should be singular throughout. :-
"Several species of birds and orchid are unique to Duars"
"Tourism guide for Duars. Travel to Duars. Hotels in Duars"
|
That could just be a foreign accent, though.
--
Mark Brader "Also, be sure to include your signature TWICE in
Toronto each article. That way you're sure people will
msb@vex.net read it." -- "Emily Postnews" (Brad Templeton) |
|
| Back to top |
|
|
Jim Lawton
Guest
|
| Posted: Thu Sep 08, 2005 4:22 pm
Post subject: Re: Noun Consistency |
|
|
On Thu, 08 Sep 2005 10:01:27 -0000, msb@vex.net (Mark Brader) wrote:
| Quote: | Mark Brader:
"Them" is right, since Duars is plural...
Jim Lawton:
I'm not sure Duars is plural ...
I assumed the original poster used a plural because he'd be reading
about the Duars in a reference that construed the word as plural.
When I looked at the stub article on them in Wikipedia and saw that
it begins "the Duars are", I figured that was sufficient confirmation.
If "Duars" is singular, then it's "is" and "it".
Having Googled I suspect it should be singular throughout. :-
"Several species of birds and orchid are unique to Duars"
"Tourism guide for Duars. Travel to Duars. Hotels in Duars"
That could just be a foreign accent, though.
|
Don't think so, but I agree the jury is still out since :-
"South of the Lesser Himalayas and the foothills lies the narrow Duars Plain,
which forms a strip 8 to 10 miles wide along the southern border of Bhutan. The
Himalayan ranges rise sharply and abruptly from the narrow Duars Plain, which
controls access to the strategic passes (known as dwars or dooars) through the
mountains leading into the fertile valleys of the Lesser Himalayas".
So first the OP needs to find out if he's talking about the singular or plural.
Capitalisation still suggests singular to me.
--
Jim
"a single species has come to dominate ...
reproducing at bacterial levels, almost as an
infectious plague envelops its host"
http://tinyurl.com/c88xs |
|
| Back to top |
|
|
Don Phillipson
Guest
|
| Posted: Thu Sep 08, 2005 5:32 pm
Post subject: Re: Noun Consistency |
|
|
"Bertel Lund Hansen" <nospamfilius@lundhansen.dk> wrote in message
news:u49p442t8n3s$.9tdlcm05pthn$.dlg@40tude.net...
| Quote: | Most of the Duars are located in India, though some of them
occupy a territory, ranging from ten to fifteen kilometres in
width, which extends into Bhutan.
|
The sentence does not inform us whether the Duars are a
racial or language group (cf. Sikhs) or something inanimate
(cf. Himalayas.) If the former, we can use "live" for "are
located" (also preferable since active rather than passive
voice. (The words located, occupy & territory all prolong
length without actually adding meaning.)
The other problem is that the sentence's main clause says
most Duars are in India, but most of the words concern the
(unquantified) minority that are not in India. It might be
better rephrased -- something like:
Most of the Duars live in India; their territory extends
some kilometres into Bhutan.
--
Don Phillipson
Carlsbad Springs
(Ottawa, Canada) |
|
| Back to top |
|
|
Bertel Lund Hansen
Guest
|
| Posted: Thu Sep 08, 2005 6:30 pm
Post subject: Re: Noun Consistency |
|
|
Don Phillipson skrev:
| Quote: | Most of the Duars live in India; their territory extends
some kilometres into Bhutan.
|
That is much better.
--
Bertel
Denmark |
|
| Back to top |
|
|
Jim Lawton
Guest
|
| Posted: Thu Sep 08, 2005 7:53 pm
Post subject: Re: Noun Consistency |
|
|
On Thu, 8 Sep 2005 14:30:13 +0200, Bertel Lund Hansen
<nospamfilius@lundhansen.dk> wrote:
| Quote: | Don Phillipson skrev:
Most of the Duars live in India; their territory extends
some kilometres into Bhutan.
That is much better.
|
Unfortunately it is based on an invalid premis - The Duars is (or maybe are) a
geographical location.
--
Jim
"a single species has come to dominate ...
reproducing at bacterial levels, almost as an
infectious plague envelops its host"
http://tinyurl.com/c88xs |
|
| Back to top |
|
|
Jeffrey Turner
Guest
|
| Posted: Thu Sep 08, 2005 9:01 pm
Post subject: Re: Noun Consistency |
|
|
Jim Lawton wrote:
| Quote: |
"South of the Lesser Himalayas and the foothills lies the narrow Duars Plain,
which forms a strip 8 to 10 miles wide along the southern border of Bhutan. The
Himalayan ranges rise sharply and abruptly from the narrow Duars Plain, which
controls access to the strategic passes (known as dwars or dooars) through the
mountains leading into the fertile valleys of the Lesser Himalayas".
|
Judging the original question:
"Most of the Duars are located in India, though a part of it
ranging between ten to fifteen kilometres in width extends into
Bhutan."
Should it be:
"Most of the Duars are located in India, though a part of them,
ranging between ten to fifteen kilometres in width, extend into
Bhutan."
| Quote: | So first the OP needs to find out if he's talking about the singular or plural.
Capitalisation still suggests singular to me.
|
Looks like the singular Duars Plain. Most of the plain is in
India, but a section that's 10 - 15 km wide is in Bhutan.
So, using OP's wording:
"Most of the Duars is located in India, though a part of it,
ranging between ten to fifteen [is that OK? I'd usually say
'between ten AND fifteen'] kilometres in width, extends into
Bhutan."
--Jeff
Results guaranteed, or your money back.
--
Often war is waged only in order to
show valor; thus an inner dignity is
ascribed to war itself, and even some
philosophers have praised it as an
ennoblement of humanity, forgetting the
pronouncement of the Greek who said,
"War is an evil in as much as it produces
more wicked men than it takes away."
--Immanuel Kant |
|
| Back to top |
|
|
TakenEvent
Guest
|
| Posted: Thu Sep 08, 2005 10:28 pm
Post subject: Re: Noun Consistency |
|
|
"Fred G" <here@nospam.org> wrote in message
news:a2uvh11arpltflfjid0l3ssco81c9gfv09@4ax.com...
| Quote: | I'm having trouble with the following sentence:
"Most of the Duars are located in India, though a part of it ranging
between ten to fifteen kilometres in width extends into Bhutan."
Should it be:
"Most of the Duars are located in India, though a part of them,
ranging between ten to fifteen kilometres in width, extend into
Bhutan."
|
Since we're only talking about a single part of the region extending beyond
the Indian border, the sentence could read as follows:
"Most of the Duars *is* located in India, though a part of it ranging
between ten to fifteen kilometers in width extends into Bhutan." |
|
| Back to top |
|
|
Pritsy
Guest
|
| Posted: Thu Sep 08, 2005 10:53 pm
Post subject: Re: Noun Consistency |
|
|
"TakenEvent" <lightbulbsnickety@chartermi.net> wrote in message
news:BFZTe.31276$1g2.21671@fe05.lga...
| Quote: |
"Fred G" <here@nospam.org> wrote in message
news:a2uvh11arpltflfjid0l3ssco81c9gfv09@4ax.com...
I'm having trouble with the following sentence:
"Most of the Duars are located in India, though a part of it ranging
between ten to fifteen kilometres in width extends into Bhutan."
Should it be:
"Most of the Duars are located in India, though a part of them,
ranging between ten to fifteen kilometres in width, extend into
Bhutan."
Since we're only talking about a single part of the region extending
beyond
the Indian border, the sentence could read as follows:
"Most of the Duars *is* located in India, though a part of it ranging
between ten to fifteen kilometers in width extends into Bhutan."
|
Duars is used in the singular. See:
http://www.seemyindia.com/west-bengal/west-bengal-duars.htm
"Duars: Duar means gateway to Bhutan. The Duars valley, spreads over 4750 sq
km of land covering both the districts of Jalpaiguri and Coochbehar. ...
Duars is the homeland of many a tribes-the Munda, Rava and Toto are
remarkable."
http://countrystudies.us/bhutan/14.htm
"Most of the Duars Plain proper is located in India, and ten to fifteen
kilometers penetrate inside Bhutan. The Bhutan Duars has two parts. The
northern Duars, which abuts the Himalayan foothills, has rugged, slopping
terrain and dry porous soil with dense vegetation and abundant wildlife. The
southern Duars has moderately fertile soil, heavy savanna grass, dense mixed
jungle, and freshwater springs." |
|
| Back to top |
|
|
Skitt
Guest
|
| Posted: Fri Sep 09, 2005 1:03 am
Post subject: Re: Noun Consistency |
|
|
Jim Lawton wrote:
| Quote: | Bertel Lund Hansen wrote:
Don Phillipson skrev:
Most of the Duars live in India; their territory extends
some kilometres into Bhutan.
That is much better.
Unfortunately it is based on an invalid premis - The Duars is (or
maybe are) a geographical location.
|
Premis? I've seen that spelling used in this group before. Is it a
Rightpondialism, or just a typo?
--
Skitt (in Hayward, California)
www.geocities.com/opus731/ |
|
| Back to top |
|
|
Jim Lawton
Guest
|
| Posted: Fri Sep 09, 2005 1:32 am
Post subject: Re: Noun Consistency |
|
|
On Thu, 8 Sep 2005 12:03:00 -0700, "Skitt" <skitt99@comcast.net> wrote:
| Quote: | Jim Lawton wrote:
Bertel Lund Hansen wrote:
Don Phillipson skrev:
Most of the Duars live in India; their territory extends
some kilometres into Bhutan.
That is much better.
Unfortunately it is based on an invalid premis - The Duars is (or
maybe are) a geographical location.
Premis? I've seen that spelling used in this group before. Is it a
Rightpondialism, or just a typo?
|
Typo - "premise" thanks ...
--
Jim
"a single species has come to dominate ...
reproducing at bacterial levels, almost as an
infectious plague envelops its host"
http://tinyurl.com/c88xs |
|
| Back to top |
|
|
| |
FAQ
Memberlist
Register
Profile
Log in to check your private messages
Log in